The present invention generally relates to an insulating member for use in the construction of buildings, and more particularly, to an insulating member to be disposed between the upper top plate of a wall and the underside of the roof decking of the roof of a building.
The effective thermal insulation of buildings, both residential and commercial, has become a crucial concern for builders and homeowners as the cost of heating and cooling has increased and the desire to reduce one's carbon footprint and go “green.” For this reason, in addition to the basic thermal insulation properties of ordinary wood and masonry, it has become common practice to employ various types of insulating material, such as fiberglass mats or expanding foams, in both new and existing buildings. Such insulating material may typically be installed in loose bales which are spread over the floor of an attic or be sprayed between the studs of a wall. Alternatively, such insulation material may be applied to a new or existing structure by blowing the insulating material, in loose-fill form, into the attic or within a wall, or by spray foaming the same interstitial open spaces between the structural supports for the building.
Loose-fill insulation has the disadvantage that it is often difficult to control the application (depth, evenness, etc.) of the insulation, and it is not unusual for such insulation to clog ventilation conduits or other structures located within the walls or beneath the roof. Further, when such insulation is either blown (for loose-fill) or rolled (for loose bales) into the wedge-shaped recess which is typically defined at the edges of an attic space, between the attic floor and the underside of the inclined roof, an insufficient amount of insulation is often achieved, developing a significant “cold spot” at the intersection between the top plate of the wall, the edge of the ceiling, and the roof. Spray foam requires the blocking off of areas that require air flow and are not considered to be appropriate for the junction of the three building structure components.
The presence of a “cold spot,” or area of relatively little insulation, will generally cause inefficiency in heating or cooling of the building. Typically, a ceiling is insulated (with an appropriate insulating material) to an insulation value of “R30”, while a wall is typically insulated to an insulation value of “R19.” However, at the intersection of the ceiling and roof, there will be a deficiency of insulation material (at the “cold spot”), decreasing the insulation value of the overall construction. What is more, it has been observed that the “cold spot” formed at the intersection of the wall, ceiling and roof tends to cause condensation of moisture, which can lead to the formation of mold and mildew on the inside of the adjacent wall or the underside of the roof decking material without continuing airflow through the area. Over a long period of time, such mold or mildew may contribute to structural decay.
Attempts over the years have been made to address these general problems. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,972,164 (Grange) discloses a substantially wedge-shaped insulating member that fits between adjacent roof trusses and between adjacent ceiling joists within the attic space of a structure directly beneath the roof decking material of the inclined roof. In a first embodiment a series of V-shaped grooves or flutes are provided along the upward facing surface of the insulating member to permit a flow of air through the channels formed by the grooves with the inner facing surface of the roof decking material along the underside of the roof. Two other embodiments are also disclosed by Grange. The first provides an internal cavity between the inlet and outlet of the air flow with grooves at each contact point with the roof decking material. The second modifies the wedge-like shape by removing the inward lower facing portion of the wedge while retaining the grooves along the contact edge against the roof decking material. All of the insulating members described by Grange may also include a small lip adapted to engage the outer surface of the exterior wall for positioning purposes. Grange specifically lacks any substantial amount of insulating material that engages along the top plate of the vertical structural wall and extends any length downward along the exterior of the wall to afford sufficient insulating material in this critical are of the structure.
Another example is U.S. Pat. No. 4,611,443 (Jorgensen, et al.) which also describes a wedge-shaped insulating member that is positioned between adjacent roof trusses and adjacent ceiling joists that overlies, but not extend beyond, the wall top plate. An air vent slot is cut into the top surface of the insulating member that abuts the underside of the roof decking material providing an air channel through which air may flow from the soffit into the attic space. An alternative embodiment provides for an inverted channel panel to be inserted in the roof joist spaces to retain insulation below the panel and provide an air channel above and against the roof decking. Neither of the Jorgensen embodiments creates any additional insulating factor between the roof and ceiling, or over the wall, to maintain the insulation (R) value at this critical interface.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,998,390 (Glover, et al.) is still another example of an attempt to provide a shield for insulating material from preventing any air flow from the soffit area to the attic space of a structure. Glover describes a sleeve-like device that extends from the ceiling joist end, over the wall top plate, and ends at the outer wall surface that is dimensioned to receive and contain a batt of insulating material or blown-in loose insulating material. The sleeve is curved inward into the attic space to provide an air pathway above the insulating material and against the underside of the roof decking material between the roof joists. There is lacking any description of extending any insulation downward along the wall exterior in the soffit space to enhance the insulating factor of the device. Further, the structure does not appear sufficiently rigid and can be deformed along its upper side by insulation batts thereby reducing the air channel and the air flow from the soffit area to the attic space.
More recent attempts have included U.S. Pat. No. 7,101,608 (Karnes) that describes a wedge-shaped insulating batt with two air flow channels cut into its top surface. This device acts in a similar fashion to that of the wedge-shaped device of Grange by allowing air flow along the underside of the roof decking material between adjacent roof joists. There is no discussion at all about any extensions outward over or down the exterior wall to provide for additional insulation around the critical junction.
Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. 7,644,545 (Mankell, et al.) is another example of a wedge-shaped insulating batt extending into the wall, ceiling and roof intersection that provides a single air channel cut into its top surface. However, again there is not even a suggestion of extending the insulation outward and downward along the exterior of the wall, ceiling and roof intersection to provide for an enhanced insulation factor at the junction.
While improving the insulation value developed at the intersection of an exterior wall, uppermost room ceiling and roof of a building, the above devices fail in any way to completely insulate the junction of the three structural elements of the building. As a result, while assisting in maintaining the desired insulation value (R30) for the uppermost room ceiling and the attic space of the building, the wall top plate approximates “R7” in insulation value which is significantly less than the desired insulation value (R19) for the wall if a building. In addition to compromising the insulation value for the wall, the proximity of the “cold” space atop the wall tends to promote the formation of mold and mildew, as previously described.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide more insulation to the junction of the wall, uppermost room ceiling and roof by positioning an insulating member that both separates the attic space from the roof soffit space, but also extends downward along the exterior of the wall for a predetermined distance adding to the insulation factor of the wall adjacent the wall top plate, while providing multiple air flow pathways to promote air movement to substantially eliminate the formation of mold or mildew and to cool the structure in warmer months.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an insulating member which, in addition to insulating the intersection between the ceiling and roof, also insulates the upper, top plate portions of the adjacent wall of the building.
It is also an object of the present invention to create multiple air flow pathways to increase air flow to the attic space to prevent the growth of mold or mildew on the structural surfaces in the attic space.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an insulating member which prevents the condensation of moisture along the top plate of a wall, adjacent to the ceiling.
It is a further object of the invention to act as a barrier against ceiling roof joist insulation in the attic space from blocking the air flow paths by extending the insulating member a distance into the attic space sufficient for the air flow pathways to exit the insulating member above the depth of the insulation in either batt or loose form.
Still a further object is to provide a unified insulating member that is capable of being positioned between adjacent roof rafters and adjacent ceiling joists to seal off the open space therebetween, as well as the open space to the roof soffit space, and to provide multiple air flow pathways through the insulating member to promote air flow from the soffit space, through the insulating member and into the attic space.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an insulating member having such capabilities which may be easily installed without the need for special tools or skills.
Other objects will appear hereinafter.